In the treatment of various conditions of the spine, therapists and doctors have used specially designed tables to generate intersegmental traction which put the spine in various ranges of motion, thereby affecting the flow of spinal fluid either in preparation for a more effective spinal adjustment or as an ultimate therapeutic treatment. These tables attempt to provide musculoskeletal massage along the spine in order to produce a particular desired result. However, the prior art therapeutic tables of this type generally provide rollers that are rotatable about a central axis, with the rollers moveable along a defined path so as to produce a desired effect along a portion of the spine. The prior art tables, however, have a very limited range of travel, and the massage rollers are not adjustable upwardly and downwardly against resistance, nor are they designed so as to be free floating in a manner that effectively exerts a constant pressure along the curvatures of the spine. Moreover, prior art therapeutic tables of this type utilize single wide rollers that move along the spine and thus do not apply sufficient pressure to the muscles adjacent to the spine.
There is therefore a need for an improved therapeutic massage table of this type which will apply more uniform pressure along the entire length of the spine, and apply that pressure to the muscles lying adjacent to the spine over a longer range of travel. Such an improved table would produce more effective intersegmental traction. There is a further need for such a table that has sufficient flexibility for the practitioner to be able to locate the massage rollers in any position along their path thereby effectively give concentrated massage upon a selected area of the spine.
There is a further need for a therapeutic massage table to generate intersegmental traction which massage table is simple for the practitioner to operate, relatively inexpensive to purchase and easy to maintain.